Effect of Ustukhuddus Alavi, a multi-herbal product, on the cognitive performance of adolescent female students

Samane Tefagh; Roshanak Mokaberinejad; Mehrdad Shakiba; Mahdi Jafari; Maryam Salehi; Maryam Khayatkashani; Nezhat Shakeri

doi:10.1016/j.jep.2022.114971

Effect of Ustukhuddus Alavi, a multi-herbal product, on the cognitive performance of adolescent female students

J Ethnopharmacol. 2022 Apr 24:288:114971. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.114971. Epub 2022 Jan 7.

Authors

Samane Tefagh¹, Roshanak Mokaberinejad², Mehrdad Shakiba³, Mahdi Jafari⁴, Maryam Salehi⁵, Maryam Khayatkashani⁶, Nezhat Shakeri⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Traditional Medicine, School of Traditional Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
² Department of Traditional Medicine, School of Traditional Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: mokaberi@sbmu.ac.ir.
³ Pediatric Department, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
⁴ Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁵ Iranian Research Center for HIV/AIDS, Iranian Institute for Reduction of High-Risk Behaviors, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁶ Amol University of Special Modern Technologies, Amol, Iran.
⁷ Department of Biostatistics, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

PMID: 35007684
DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.114971

Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Ustukhuddus Alavi is a polyherbal formula which is introduced by Persian medicine scholars. It is traditionally used to treat brain disorders and is claimed to do so by preprocessing and cleansing the waste products from the brain. According to Persian medicine, the disposal of brain waste products is necessary for optimal cognitive performance.

Aim of the study: Sustaining optimal cognitive performance is crucial for ideal quality of life and higher academic achievements in high school students. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of this multi-component herbal product on the cognitive performance and salivary cortisol levels of adolescent female students.

Materials and methods: The effect of a 6-week randomly assigned Ustukhuddus Alavi versus placebo administration on cognitive performance was assessed by the paced auditory serial addition test (PASAT) at the baseline and after the 3- and 6-week intake of Ustukhuddus Alavi or placebo and the one-month follow-up in 86 healthy female high school students in grades 10 and 11. Additionally, we measured the levels of salivary cortisol of the students pre- and post-intervention.

Results: Significant mean difference between the Ustukhuddus Alavi and placebo groups in three of the paced auditory serial addition test (PASAT) subscales, namely mental health (p-value = 0.006), sustained attention (p-value = 0.001) and mental fatigue (p-value = 0.001), were observed after six weeks. We also found a significant difference between the mean salivary cortisol level of the two groups after the intervention (p-value = 0.047).

Conclusions: These findings reveal that the intake of the multi-ingredient herbal product Ustukhuddus Alavi for six weeks can be helpful for cognitive function and cortisol levels in female high school students. These positive effects seem to be related to the increase in sustained attention and the decrease in mental fatigue.

Keywords: Cognition; Iranian traditional medicine; PASAT; Persian medicine; Salivary cortisol; Ustukhuddus Alavi.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Attention / drug effects
Cognition / drug effects*
Double-Blind Method
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Hydrocortisone / metabolism*
Medicine, Persian*
Neuropsychological Tests
Plant Extracts / pharmacology*
Saliva / chemistry
Students

Substances

Plant Extracts
Hydrocortisone